Do You Believe In Santa Claus?
by Fangirls of Insanity
Summary: When Santa and his elves get sick, who do they turn to for help? The Z-Senshi, of course! Only Goten believes they exist, however, and Vegeta's perception of human customs as 'idiotic' isn't helping one bit. Will they be able to save Christmas in time?
1. Prologue

**Do You Believe In Santa Claus?  
**_by the Fangirls of Insanity  
Miss Lous and Kaz Valkyrie_

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**PROLOGUE  
The Truth About Human Children**

_In the eyes of a child, there is joy, there is laughter  
There is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future  
For the lessons of life, there is no better teacher  
Than to look in the eyes of a child_

**Air Supply, "In the Eyes of a Child"**

With a huge plastic bag on groceries on one hand, and an extra-long piece of paper --- which was most probably a list of what he was supposed to purchase --- on the other, Son Goku trudged towards the mall's appliance center. Although the bag looked extremely heavy, he had no problem carrying it around. After all, a saiyajin he was. And a plastic bag of groceries was nothing to worry about.

However, his walk towards the spot where their rendezvous would take place seemed like eternity. He could not help stopping everytime he sees something new in a boutique or a mini-shop, much more if it was a restaurant. Just seeing the menu on posters would make him drool. He wanted the food badly, but he did not have enough money to purchase what he wanted. Chichi only gave him money enough for the groceries, nothing more, nothing less.

Finally, after a million stops on almost every store he would pass by, he arrived at the appliance center. He started searching for his family, which was no problem. Gohan and Goten were already back from the arcade and he sensed their kis almost immediately. He found his sons huddled in front of a television, with joysticks in their hands and a handful of CDs scattered around a Playstation console.

"Hi Daddy!" Goten chirped without even turning his eyes away from the television. "Look at what I can do!" he exclaimed as he pushed a couple of buttons in rapid succession, and his character charged at Gohan's with a series of fire punches and kicks.

The elder Son was more than pleased with Goten's assault. "Well, squirt, let's see how you can handle this!" he muttered as he slid his fingers through the directional pad, and pressed a few buttons at the same time, and his character delivered a blow that knocked out Goten's fighter.

"Aw I lost again," Goten blurted out as he slumped his shoulders in defeat. "You never let me win, Oniichan. You're so unfair. Just because you're older than me! Even Trunks lets me win! But you never let me!"

"Come on, squirt, don't feel too bad," Gohan said as he patted his younger brother encouragingly on the shoulder. "It takes practice. You'll master it in time."

The younger saiyajin's eyes lit brightly, and then he turned to Goku. "Daaaaaaddy? Can you please buy me a Plaaaaaaaystation? For Christmas? Pleeeeeeeeease?" he pleaded with a look that a normal human could not resist, a look in which he was the master. _The Puppy Eyes™._

In response, Goku rubbed the back of his head, and planted the Son Grin™ on his face. "Ummm... I would, Goten. If I had the money. But it's your mom who has the money, so you better ask her."

"Aw," Goten uttered, his disappointment obvious. "Can't you ask her for me? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?" he continued to plead. Afterwards, when he sensed that it didn't work, he began to complain about how Trunks would always beat him because he had his own Playstation, and the other whines and explanations related to that. Soon, his _rant_ went completely off-topic, but Goku was too confused to where he was getting at to notice that development.

"Okay, Goten, just for you, I'll ask your mom," Goku said as he patted his youngest son on the shoulder and then turned to look for Chichi in the kitchenware section of the store. Before he could even lock on to her ki and thus find her, a new signature registered into his senses, screaming the arrival of a friend of his. Vegeta, the Saiyajin no Ouji, had just stormed into the store with his wife and eight-year-old son, looking even more murderous than usual.

_"Stupid human CUSTOMS!"_

Goku waved with his hand, trying to get the older saiyajin's attention. "Hey Vegeta! Over here!" 

The Saiyajin no Ouji turned his head to Goku, his eyes narrowing a bit. Then, he dragged Bulma with him to where the third-class idiot was standing, his son following them. "Here you go onna, I have brought you to that baka and his family! Can I finally go now?!" 

And he turned away, ready to leave.

"Who said you were allowed to go? We still have to go to at least five stores before we are finished! I can't carry all that stuff!" the blue haired woman angrily replied, gesturing towards the heap of stuffed plastic bags at one corner of the center. 

Vegeta turned back, fury written on his face. "Nani?! You can't be serious! We have already been here for two hours and we have visited at least 20 stores!" the prince growled back in response. "This is all madness! Why, of all races, do you humans have such idiotic customs?!"

Before Bulma could answer, Goku decided to break the fight. He was used to the couple having arguments almost every minute, but this one was just getting out of control --- and if he wouldn't do anything soon, Vegeta would start blasting random objects, or worse yet, _humans,_ very soon. "Hey, Bulma did something happen?

She stopped glaring at Vegeta for a moment to turn an irritated face towards the younger of the two saiyajin purebloods. "Something happened?!?" she bellowed, causing both saiyajins to cover their ears in reflex. "Mister _I-am-the-prince-of-all-saiyajins_ can't seem to get used to our _human_ customs. I took him with me---"

"Took me? _Hmph,_" Vegeta snorted, titling his chin arrogantly. "She threatened to shut the Gravity Room down if I wouldn't go with her to help her carry all her useless items --- and she tells you that she _took me?! _How dare you simplify the matter, onna!"

Bulma glared at her husband even more at his little rant. "Oh just shut up, will ya?!" She then looked back at Goku and scowled. "As I was saying I TOOK him with me to help me, when one of those entertainment people that worked here stopped us to give Trunks some candy. Vegeta, of course, became irritated and ordered the him to go away. Unfortunately, the poor man didn't react fast enough and he knocked him away." 

"Vegeta!" exclaimed a shocked Goku, who turned to look at the other with wide eyes and clamped fists. "You shouldn't have done that! That was an innocent human!"

The saiyajin only scowled.

On the other hand, Trunks joined the two Sons who were playing on the Playstation, beating both of them completely. They got so noisy that the attendant nearly threw them out of the gaming section, but Gohan managed to convinced the pissed off human to let the children have one more game while waiting for their parents to purchase the console.

"Hey Trunks, did your mom came here too to buy food?" Goten asked while pushing some buttons frantically in a certain sequence, trying to hit the character of the purple haired demi-saiyajin.

"No, we came here to buy Christmas presents," the boy replied, his eyes glued to the screen, blocking the attacks with ease. 

Goten looked up. "Christmas presents? But you get those from Santa, why do your parents buy them for you?" A look of envy appeared on his face. "Or do you get presents from both? That's so lucky of you, Trunks!"

"What do you mean _presents from Santa?_" Trunks asked, confused, and then, his eyes suddenly widened in surprise. "Oh, Goten, you still believe in the Santa Claus?! Haven't your parents told you the truth?" The surprise on his face was replaced by irritation. "Santa doesn't exist, you dummy!"

The younger saiyajin's lip trembled, revealing the first sign of incoming tears. "He doesn't?"

"No."

"Bu—butthat can't be!"

"It's really true."

"You are lying!!!" Goten yelled suddenly, eyes full of determination, getting the attention of the three adults who were still bickering a short distance from them. "My mom and dad would have told me if Santa doesn't exist! They don't lie to me! They wouldn't lie to me!" He then looked at Gohan with a pleading look, close to tears. "Santa exists, right, Oniichan?"

His older brother didn't know what to say. If he would say that Santa did exist, he would be lying, but if he would say that Santa didn't exist, he would destroy all of Goten's dreams. He began to weigh the situation at hand, his inner angels and devils arguing over telling the truth or telling a white lie.

"Oniichan?"

Gohan swallowed as his gaze rested on his brother's sweet, innocent face. He remembered how he himself had reacted when his mother and father had told him the truth. A part of his world had collapsed, like a house built out of cards, as if one of the cards had been brutally removed. He had been mad for days, refusing to talk to his parents. _Would Goten react the same way? Would he would he go on a mad rampage if he'd discover the truth? Would it would it make a part of his world collapse as well? Should I tell him the truth or not?!_

"He exists, right?"

Why did he had to do this, anyway? Wasn't this a thing that his parents had to tell Goten? 

"What is going on here?" As if answering his question, the oldest Son appeared next to the trio, a questioning look on his face. He swept his gaze from one boy to the other, and they could tell that he was entirely focused on the matter at hand.

Goten, seeing the perfect opportunity to prove that his best friend was wrong, changed his target. He aimed for his father, this time. Unshed tears were glittering in his eyes, and there was a hopeful look on his face that the others could not miss. "Trunks said that Santa doesn't exist, but he's lying, right? Santa exists, right, Daddy?"

When Goku saw that look, he couldn't find the words to answer the little boy.

The Saiyajin no Ouji, on the other hand, sported a knowing look on his face. He, too, had once experienced this, and he knew the results of telling the truth very well. Even though Vegeta barely knew anything about human customs, he knew how emotional human children were. And boy, did they cause a _lot_ of trouble.

So, he followed his heart and went for the best, most appealing, least troublesome solution his mind offered. After all, it was the only way. Stepping up towards the huddle of demi-saiyajins, he cleared his throat and announced, "He's right, brat. That Santa person of yours really _doesn't_ exist."

Goten's eyes snapped towards Vegeta, filled with utter unbelief. And in those raven eyes, Vegeta saw another world fall apart, another child lose a part of his innocence, caused by the Saiyajin no Ouji himself. A strange feeling crept up to him. He suddenly felt like he just destroyed another planet on Freeza's orders _in cold blood._

The youngest demi-saiyajin, however, said nothing. Anger, frustration, denial --- none of those emotions could not be seen in his eyes. There was no trace of fury or rage; but there was no trace of happiness in them either. In fact, the gleam of innocence had faded away into a faint glimmer against the darkness. Son Goten, seven years old, only stared at Vegeta with those eyes 

and then, he turned around and ran away.


	2. Chapter One

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Do You Believe In Santa Claus?

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by the Fangirls of Insanity  
Miss Lous and Kaz Valkyrie

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CHAPTER ONE  
More Than Your Imagination

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Somewhere over the rainbow  
Skies are blue  
And the dreams that you dare to dream  
Really do come true

****

Eva Cassidy, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

Goku sighed as his youngest son disappeared from his view. Four words had destroyed a world of innocence and dreams, only four words. It was cruel how children were raised to believe in a fairy tale, only to take it away from them years later. It was so cruel. 

Four words. 

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Santa does not exist…

"You shouldn't have said that Vegeta. Not like that."

The older saiyajin snorted.

"How else should I have told him the truth? Lying to him, only to let him discover the truth by himself later? Do you even think he would still trust you then? I doubt it. Or should I have used some soothing words to calm him down, taking hours to explain to him why that Santa person doesn't exist? He has saiyajin blood! He can handle the truth! Why waste a lot of time explaining the obvious?"

Bulma opened her mouth to answer her husband, when Trunks, who had been listening to the adults, interrupted their argument.

"You are only talking about what ifs! What would have been the best way to say the truth, when Goten himself ran away a few minutes ago and nobody followed him to help him?" The young demi-saiyajin scowled. "You don't even take the responsibility of taking care of him! And you call yourself adults?"

After those words, he ran away, to find his best friend.

"Trunks! Wait!" Bulma called after her son, but Vegeta stopped her.

"Let him go, he will be alright."

"Shouldn't we go looking for both of them?"

"No, they can take care of themselves." Vegeta answered, irritation written on his face. "Now let's finish visiting those blasted stores woman. I still have to train for at least 4 hours today!" 

Bulma hesitated. "I don't know Vegeta…"

Wouldn't she be a bad mother if she would just leave her son alone? Vegeta was right, those two could easily take care for themselves, but still… it felt wrong. Goten was confused for sure. Maybe she should go looking for Chichi. It was, after all, her son.

As if reading her mind, Goku stepped next to Bulma.

"Don't worry Bulma. Gohan and I will go look for Chichi and tell her everything. You can continue shopping with Vegeta." Goku smiled when he saw that Vegeta's face became even more irritated when he mentioned the shopping part. "I think that Vegeta really wants to end this as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Son-kun" Bulma smiled and she looked at Vegeta. "Shall we go, Vegeta?"

Her husband said nothing and walked to the pile of bags and packets in the corner, picking them up if they were nothing. Well… a human would have problems in carrying it all, but for the saiyajin prince who had fought Freeza, Cell and Majin Buu, it was just as easy as blinking his eyes. 

Bulma looked at Goku and Gohan and smiled.

"See you in two days!" she said, then reminded the Sons of the Christmas dinner they would have in Capsule Corporation. "This is going to be really great! We will all be together!" she continued excitedly, receiving a chuckle from Vegeta in reply, who obviously didn't understand why being dressed in a tuxedo and eating together with the third-class baka and his family was such a _great_ thing. 

Bulma just ignored her husband's comment. After all, she lived for at least ten years with the saiyajin prince and was used to his grumpy reactions.

"Say hi to ChiChi for me, okay?"

"I will!" 

And the group separated in two small ones, both ready to go their own way.

"Is you Mister Son Goku?" a high-pitched voice suddenly said.

Goku turned to the source of the voice, using his excellent saiyajin hearing the pinpoint the exact place. "Yes, that's---" But he stopped talking and surprise appeared on his face when he saw the owner of the voice he just heard. 

A highly unusual owner, to be precise. 

It was a tiny creature. Even smaller then an average eight-year-old child. It had long, batlike ears; short, stubby legs; and a long, thin, pointed nose like what the cartoon character Pinocchio had in the animated films. It wore something that looked fashionably like the garments Santa Clauses wore when they paraded down the streets of the city, only that they were green in color, and on its feet were a pair of pointed brown shoes that curled at the edges.

"Who are you?" Goku asked. 

The creature bowed. "I is Pinky, sir, most loyal elf of Santa Claus"

Vegeta snorted. "Not one of the entertainment humans again."

Pinky looked up to Vegeta, "I is not human, but elf. But I should know that you don't believe in my master. You is, after all, Mister Vegeta, a saiyajin." After that comment she turned back to Goku, leaving a bewildered Vegeta alone. 

"I needs your help, Son Goku, sir!" the so-called elf said desperately. "My master, the Santa Claus and many of the other elves are ill! And we is not ready for Christmas yet! We needs you and yours friends help sir! Or there will be no Christmas this year!"

"No Christmas?!?" Gohan blurted out. "That's impossible!"

"But it is true Son Gohan, sir. As we speak, my master is lying in his bed with a high fever and moaning in pain. Pinky believes it is food poisoning sir. And Santa Claus isn't the only one! Half of all elves is ill too! It is horrible!" Pinky answered, a sad look on her face. She then looked hopefully at Goku. "Will you and yours friends helps my master?"

The saiyajin opened his mouth to reply, but Vegeta was faster.

"Why should we help you? We just explained to the third-class baka's youngest brat that yourSanta Claus_ doesn't_ exist. And now you expect us to believe your story? Santa Claus doesn't exist, so leave us and go entertain someone else with your _Santa is ill-joke_."

The small creature widened her eyes in shock. "You won't help Pinky?" 

"No."

Pinky looked at desperately at Goku. "Not even you, sir?"

The saiyan stared at the _elf_ with a hint of compassion. "I have to agree with Vegeta. We all know that Santa Claus doesn't exist. That's why we are here in the mall. To buy Christmas presents for everybody. Which reminds me, I have to find Chichi now. She doesn't even know yet what happened to Goten." He turned away. "Bye Bulma, bye Vegeta. See you in two days!" 

And he walked away, Gohan following him.

"Bye Son-kun! Bye Gohan!", Bulma replied, before she and Vegeta went in the opposite direction. Suddenly she stopped, turned around and looked at Pinky. "I'm sorry we can't help you. But I must say, it really sounds very real, you almost convinced me little elf. You are really a great entertainer." After those words she turned back to Vegeta and left.

"I'm sorry for you, Miss Bulma Briefs," Pinky replied softly. "That you don't believe in my master anymore…" 

She snapped her fingers and disappeared in a puff of smoke and sparkles. 

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But he's real…

Ebony eyes brimming with tears, Goten looked down at all the presents he had received the past years during Christmas Day, from the fat man in red who comes to town on a sleigh dragged by magical reindeers. From the fat man with a long, white beard who laughs with Ho-Ho-Ho's. Santa Claus.

He clutched the presents close to him, not wanting to let go, afraid that Santa would disappear into thin air once he would release what the magical gift-giving man gave him the past holidays. Afraid that the presents themselves would disappear if he let go --- after all, Vegeta said that Santa wasn't real, so his gifts might not be real as well.

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But he's real!

He did not know how he got home so fast, but he did. He did not know what took place while he flew away like mad, but he remembered very well the expressions the other saiyajins sported. He remembered the smug expression on his best friend's face and the _I'm-too-old-to-believe-this-nonsense _glimmer in Trunks' blue eyes as he announced that Santa wasn't real. The look of nervous uncertainty on Gohan's features, was as bright as day, and so was Goku's silence that bothered him greatly. 

Yet the most vivid of all those was the knowing smirk on Vegeta's pale, intimidating face as he said the words with utter clarity, "He's right, brat. That Santa person of yours really _doesn't_ exist."

Goten looked at the calendar posted on the wall of his bedroom. Written in big, red letters was the number _24_ under the word December set in full caps, bordered with green Christmas tree leaves. At that, his eyes watered even more than ever, a horrible thought hitting him. If Santa wasn't real… then he wouldn't get any presents for Christmas, as Santa had been the one giving him gifts all those years.

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But he's real! He's real! HE'S REAL!

He looked down at his gifts sadly, part of him was resigned to the truth, but a stronger part of him still refused to believe. _If Santa wasn't real, then who had been giving me these presents? _a voice from within him asked as he ran a finger through a box that still had the words, _Merry Christmas, from Santa, _scribbled hastily across it.

The seven-year-old demi-saiyajin looked at the other presents he received, and saw that more than one of them contained the same dedication. More than one of those gifts had the note, _Merry Christmas, from Santa, _written on them. Some had tiny, fancy-looking cards attached on their boxes, cards that held the same words. _Merry Christmas, from Santa._

"Santa… Santa…" he whispered, clasping his hands together in his attempt to send a prayer to wherever the jolly fellow was at the moment. "Santa… please, show them that you're real. Send them a sign that you're real. Prove to them that you exist. Please, Santa, please…"

****

Tap. Tap.

"GO AWAY!" the little boy yelled as Trunks, who had obviously went after him, tapped the glass window of his bedroom continuously. He then went back to his prayer, this time he did so in silence. His eyebrows were knitted together in utter concentration, hoping against hope that Santa would hear him, no matter how far apart they were.

The lavender-haired demi-saiyajin, on the other hand, was getting desperate. He knew that if Chichi would find out that her _baby_ was upset on Christmas Eve, she would go on a rampage, and they would be wearing giant red lumps on their heads to compliment their clothes in the upcoming party at Capsule Corporation. And he was sure that it would not take long for the woman who held the_ Mighty-Frying-Pan-of-Doom™_ to find out what had happened, and in a few moments she would go on the rampage none of them would want to witness.

There was one very appealing option at the moment --- to blast the window and thus have a pathway inside Goten's bedroom --- but his fear of his best friend's mother was preventing his muscles from doing his will. He decided to try the door instead, because if he was lucky, Goten forgot to lock it at the outbreak of his tears.

And he was lucky.

He quickly darted towards the room where Goten locked himself in, and luck blessed him greatly the second time in a row: the bedroom door was unlocked. Not wanting to upset the other even more, he slowly pushed the door open, mentally rehearsing the speech he formulated on the way to the Son's residence and the speech he was planning to tell the younger demi-saiyajin…

… when a pair of bulging emerald eyes the size of tennis balls met his sapphire ones.

Trunks blinked.

It was a tiny creature, even shorter than Goten, who was, by Trunks' definition, _short_. It was looking at the demi-saiyajin curiously, as if it had never seen anyone of his kind before, and it was especially gaping at the eight-year-old's gleaming purple hair. It circled around Trunks --- once, twice, thrice, four times --- until it stopped once again right in front of him and bowed, taking off its hat as it did so. "You is Mister Trunks Briefs, sir?" it began in a high-pitched voice.

Trunks swallowed, uncertain of what was going to happen next. "… Yes."

"And you is Mister Son Goten, sir, Goten yes?"

The other's raven eyes snapped open at that. He knew that Trunks was in the room, as he felt his best friend's ki the moment he took off after him from the department store, but he did not notice that someone else had arrived. He looked at the creature inquisitively, and remembering that it asked him a question, he nodded in reply, a demure yet welcoming smile on his features.

To the duo's surprise, the creature bowed. In fact, it bowed so low that its nose touched the floor, and when it straightened up once more, there were specks of dust at the tip of his long nose. Goten and Trunks tried their best not to snigger, afraid that it would offend the visitor, but they knew that if it would pull off another stunt similar to that one, they would burst into laughter before it could blink. "I is Pinky, sirs. I is most loyal elf of Santa Claus, Pinky is, sirs. And my master needs your help."


End file.
